Everybody is super friendly every time I come here. The margaritas are on point. I really loved my chicken fajita meal and the fact that they give you free nachos white people sauce and salsa is is just pretty awesome because other places like to charge you for that and I don't appreciate that because if you're going to charge somebody for some tortilla chips, then you shouldn't have a Mexican restaurant, right? So in my opinion, I really like this restaurant. They have really great lighting and the seats feel very nice. read more

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El Nopal is fine. It's a cute little place with fun decor, loud music, and college football on TV. Indoor and outdoor seating is available, and bottomless chips and salsa are on point. Pop-in for lunch, and there's an array of affordable options. The menu is pretty emcompassing, and most lunch entrees were around $7. It wasn't a huge meal, but the portions were reasonable, and with the free chips and salsa, I did not leave hungry. Was it the greatest meal or service of my life? Not really, but it pleased a small crowd for a Saturday lunch, and I was satiated for the rest of the day. Decent value for what they offer. read more

Food was great and the margaritas were large! We had the pork belly tacos and a chili Reno with cheese as well as the spinach chicken enchiladas. Highly recommend read more

El Nopal Mexican Restaurant - Large skinny margarita - Mexican Near Me - Hopewell, Virginia

It's a shame how I live and work so close because I love this place and will spend all my hard earned money!!!!! I've had the: - Fajita Chicken Burritos - Lando's Steak - Tierra y Mar - Chori Pollo I liked all except the Tierra y Mar. I learned that day I wasn't a scallop fan at all. They were a bit skimpy on shrimp. Other than thats flavor is always GREAT and service is good. One of the ladies that usually is in the front is so sweet. Will be back read more

Fantastic food, service & atmosphere! I tend toward the El Nopal Bowl with steak, but everything is excellent.

El Nopal means prickly pear and this place had all the prickle without any of the sweetness! We called ahead to make sure it wasn't too late and were assured they'd be open. Now we're wishing they'd turned us away! During covid ... no masks, no gloves! No six foot rule! There was no drink menu so we had no idea what was available or the prices and when I asked for a margarita I was told they were only medium or large ... thank goodness I picked medium (see photo!) ... now we know they're so big so you don't care what you're eating!!! The chips were warm, crispy and salty, a respectable chip and the white dipping sauce (later discovered to be "like ranch dressing" actually turned out to be the highlight of the meal! Until now I've never met guacamole I didn't like, this one was like an avocado threw up! Overripe, flavorless and inedible!!! The sour cream was warm and the tortillas had a very strange smell. The food came out quickly ... too quickly!!! Can you say precooked and rewarmed??? "Salad" was lettuce with one slimy slice of tomato The chicken in the fajitas and fajita burritos (actually not a burrito just a prewrapped fajita hidden in cheese sauce) was chewy and obviously previously cooked and rewarmed. The vegetables in the shrimp dish were not just tender crisp but RAW! And I've actually made better Mexican rice myself and I'm British!!!! My daughter was urged to choose the "small" steak quesadilla which was like a child size appetizer- she's an adult!!! Served on a very chipped plate (see pic). We felt like we were in an episode of kitchen nightmares!!! All this was softened up with humongous drinks so you can imagine this review without! Save your money and go to TACO BELL .... no really!!! (Note - dirty bathroom) ... would have have given zero stars if it was an option. read more

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This is the best place to get authentic Mexican food in Hopewell, Virginia. I want to try other dishes, but I always get my normal dish which is the California shrimp burrito. read more

El Nopal Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Hopewell, Virginia

We came for an impromptu outing after a long weekend. We really wanted to enjoy ourselves at a neighborhood local restaurant. However, the enjoyment was short lived. We ordered guacamole, cheese dip & two alcoholic drinks. Our cheese dip was so runny, it may have been mistaken for water if we kept our eyes closed. The cheese dip was so runny, it barley coated our tortilla chips. Speaking of chips, we did have some large regular sized tortilla chips, but they were only to disguise the layer or chip morsels laying beneath them. It was sure hard to dip water cheese dip with chips morsels. Maybe that should be a drinking game of the sort! The guacamole had chopped ingredients that were maybe precut way in advance because, it wasn't fresh, and had no flavor. We actually squeezed our limes that came with our drinks & added lots of salt to our guacamole for flavor. My pomegranate margarita was just okay, but it's definitely not worth the value. Let's now get to the service! I did look around, and saw that everyone dining in, lacked it! We weren't even asked if we'd like to have anything else such as water, napkins, etc. We were only shoved the bill as if we're being asked to leave because, we only ordered drinks, & appetizers. Initially we wanted to order more drinks, but with service like this, we definitely wanted to go. We wanted to go after the almost 45 minutes of isolation We noticed that everyone seemed to be isolated at this establishment. I don't think our presence will be missed. However, our almost $30 spent at this establishment will be missed! read more

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Food here is great , the service is fast ...the prices are decent here but the location isn't the greatest or easiest to get too.

This is our "go to" when friends visit. The specialty margaritas are phenomenal! Fresh fruit, spices and the right amount of tequila for this homemade masterpiece! The food never disappoints either. The Veggie No Pal was absolutely wonderful. The flavors were all there and the veggies were fresh. The Pollo Crema was also amazing. I've had a number of their menu items and none so far have warranted a bad review. read more

Food actually tasted great! But the rice wasn't all cooked completely, the waitress barely came to my table, she walked by several times while I sat for at least 10 mins with my plate pushed away from me. Finally, she asked if everything was ok, I told her, "no, the rice wasn't fully cooked." She took my plate and brought me my ticket and told me to pay at the front. Several people were served before me that arrived after I did. Rarely do I ever not tip my waitress...even when the food wasn't great. I paid the ticket and left. read more

El Nopal Mexican Restaurant - Big Daddy Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Hopewell, Virginia

The food was reasonably priced and very good! I'd go again for sure. Service was a quick TAT

Was excited to have a Mexican restaurant right next to the hotel I'm staying at for a month. Well that excitement was lost on my first visit. I will not be going back... Horrible service... and when I say horrible I mean horrible!! I legit never actually had a server while sitting at the bar top. Finally got asked if I wanted a drink by the host who also ended up taking my order eventually. There are plenty of place better then this one for sure! Especially because it's too pricey for such horrible service! read more

The food was basically and bland. There was a sign on the door that the prices had changed and to ask what the new price was. The law states you must clearly state the price. The server barely spoke English and when asked directly about the price she stated one thing and we were charged way more than stated. We were charged a ridiculous price for the food and drinks. Especially for the portion and quality. Beware of this business as this is blatant fraud. A to go order customer was charged a different price. So I guess we got charged the gringo price and the to go order Latinos price was lower. Avoid this place. The management wasn't clear when asked either. They just acted clueless. I repeat DO NOT spend your hard earned cash at such a Shady establishment. I am filing a complaint with office of consumer affairs. Horrible place ! Do not eat here ! The food was below average. The service was questionable and they intermittently understand English depending on the question. Sketchy shady and rude. DO NOT VISIT THIS PLACE. RIDICULOUSLY HIGH PRICE NEVER STATED AND FOOD WAS NOT WORTH THE SQUEEZE. We asked several times for the price change and it was never clearly answered or what was stated was not the same and as higher than stated. They ripped us off read more

Food is always great and more than you can eat! Service great you as you come in the door until you all very friendly!!! Great place to eat!

This used to be a decent, local Mexican restaurant to eat. Good prices, nice portions with a doggie bag. Prices have increased about 25% while the portions decreased! Sad, not on my list as a goto for Mexican food tonight spot!! read more

They have the best service and great nachos they also have cactus outside with cactus fruit and if they are ripe you can have one if u ask but be careful they are spiky so I would recommend eating here for authentic delicious Mexican food read more

This place used to be wonderful, but the service and quality has GREATLY declined. We ordered take out, and portions were ridiculously small, not to mention we were sick after eating here (no clue what caused it, but we all weren't feeling good). Would definitely never go here again, there are much better options in the area. read more

This place is great! The people are very nice, the atmosphere is good. They are very kid friendly. Food is delicious, and not overloaded with grease. They didn't question when I requested no tortillas with my meal.. the food is fresh and comes from the kitchen nice and hot. They are quick so if you're short on time for lunch you could probably be in and out in no time. I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed my meal! read more

This is the place we go when my family has a craving for Mexican food. We always get seated right away and our food comes out hot and quick. We've been coming here for over 2yrs now and I'm happy to say we've always had great service. However, we have 3 children so we tend to come here early for dinner, typically around 4:30-5:00 so we avoid the dinner crowds. The fajitas are my favorite. But if you are craving tamales you might want to take a hard pass here, both times we've tried them they were terrible with no meat inside. Also the guacamole is basically avocado soup so I don't eat it here. But other than those 2 issues every other dish my family has had they really enjoyed. read more

El Nopal Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Hopewell, Virginia

New to town stumbled upon this place off the beaten path. Greeted at the door, sat at the bar and waited for 5 minutes for the bartender to show zero conversation. Staff very standoffish. Talked with their fellow employees and did not engage us. Food was good. My wife ordered 2 shots of Kinkys. Poured into 2 "Dollar Store" shot glasses not even to a "real shot" and charged us $16.00!!!!! Manager mentioned expensive probably because he had to climb a ladder to retrieve it. Don't be fooled by the 99 cents margaritas on Mondays... NO BOOZE!!!! read more

My fiancé and I live right around the corner from here. It's not very visible and you forget it's there. But we came on a recommendation of a friend. I'm glad we went because we love Mexican food. The portions were really generous and the food came out fast and hot. Plus the prices were cheap! I got the chicken enchiladas which I def recommend & my fiancé got this burrito larger than life. We will definitely be back! read more

We've ate here many times and ordered delivery twice. Normally they serve up pretty good food and the service is good. Today the delivery was the only thing done well. The food was just awful. I mean absolutely disgusting. I ordered carnitas and we got three tiny pieces of dried pork. They looked leans tasted like dried ham hock. We had 6 chicken wings and they were so fatty they reminded me of the Nasty Tyson wings you might buy in a grocery store. We did order the lunch fajitas and they were fine. Just a caveat to be wary of them on this date forward. read more

El Nopal Mexican Restaurant - Carnitas. - Mexican Near Me - Hopewell, Virginia

I in July 2015 was in VA visiting family and we were looking for something to eat and drink because family make you feel like you need a drink sometimes. The food was ok considering the area, but I was expecting more because I am so use to the Mexican food in Tristate area. The drinks were awesome because they were nice a strong. The tortilla chips and salsa was not so good because the salsa tasted like it came from the jar. We ordered the mixed meat fajita was ok, but not seasoned as well as it should have been. I understand that most restaurants cater to the area, but authentic seasoning was what I needed. Speaking spanish is an added benefit especially when it comes to ordering food. If you are looking for mexican food with not much spice then this your place to go. The decor is cool and being able to sit outside is cool, but don't sit outside when its hot because the flys are out to get ya! read more

El Nopal Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Hopewell, Virginia

The margaritas here are BANGING!!! I had the medium Texcana and it was heavenly. I mean who doest like alcohol? I would give this place 5 stars for the margys. However, the food is ok for the area. We're from NYC so I guess our taste buds are spoiled to more flavor. We would only return for the alcohol margys! Avg per plate/drink can stay yea back $13-$15 greenbacks. Oh yea and get your Spanish game up. Speaking Spanish here is a PLUS!!! Boy oh boy we were starving and just finished a nifty 6 hour drive, so some lovely Mexican food was in order! We choose here due to yelp reviews. We ordered the mixed meat fajita special, Texcana Margarita, water and a few other things that never came out. The mix meat fajitas were good! It came with 3 shrimps, 2 thinly sliced chicken breast and 1 piece of steak. The sides were rice, refried beans and Lettuce with sour cream and gauc! Be warned the plates are piping HOT and the flavor of the food is mediocre. We would return strictly for margys! The restaurant is nice and cool inside. They also offer outside seating. It can be a dope place to have lunch and possibly dinner. If spice and flavor isn't what your looking for then I would suggest this place to you. Enjoy folks!!! *** FYI - the tortilla chips are good too. The salsa is mehhh and the white sauce is like a sweet ranchy sauce! *** read more

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Ive come here several times and at one point was coming around once a week. The food is good ONLY IF you order veggies. All meat is severely over cooked and tough. Our waitress was very nice but its typically a 50/50 shot you'll get a polite waitress. Unfortunately, they tend to spend their time flirting with the men who come in. No shame in getting that bag, but not at the expense of ignoring other tables. Very unfortunate since i really liked coming in at one point, and have always tipped very generously. Save your money and go to Don Pepe. read more

We just ate there. Service was very poor, waiter dropped off food and returned an hour later. A family sitting across from us got up and left when roaches were crawling across there table. Just absolutely disgusting. read more

Great authentic Mexican food. Located close to fort lee, they have a large menu that's very simple to follow and order because each meal is a number on the menu. There is ample mounts of parking, the table is set up with fresh tortilla chips with sour cream and salsa. The service is fast, facility is clean, and the employees are quite friendly. Exactly what you need in a successful restaurant. The pricing is very fair for the portion given. I paid about $10 for a full plate of food and I barely finished. It's great to also have events here or bring family and friends for a nice meal. As I said, I felt like this place was very authentic and really enjoyed the food. I recommend people to try out this Mexican restaurant. Definitely beats having a meal at Taco Bell. read more

The best Mexican spot in this area!! The owner makes her own margarita flavor. Always on point, never disappoints.

I'm picky when it comes to Mexican food. This is a lunch menu review. They check all the blocks when it comes to casual Mexican dining: a bevy of options including seafood, chips with more than one salsa/dip, even horchata on the menu. They don't have anything truly spectacular on the menu that sets them apart from other places but they've been around for a long time, which means they do their food well. Horchata is a bit on the sweet side, light on cinnamon. Fortunately they give you a lot so you aren't bothered by the no free refills. Tacos are very generous but the tortillas are commercial. No in-house tortillas definitely keeps them from being better in my opinion. Same with the cheese, it's basic jack cheese. No cotija or queso fresco. Enchiladas do look like they have house verde sauce and it's quite good. I'm more impressed with their specialty dishes than the tacos, but it's still pretty standard. Bottom line: good food, good service, good prices. But if you're looking for something "special" or high end then this isn't the place...for now. read more

This was my first time at this restaurant it was recommended by a coworker. It has a very nice atmosphere full of friendly restaurant staff to assist you. I ordered my food for take out I got the Chori dip which was delicious and some seafood Delmar for later. The food came out pretty fast which is always a plus and they have a full bar to quench your thirst. There is a large seating area if you wish to dine in I recommend you call ahead if you doing take out. read more

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I ordered the 2 chili relanos combo plate, had it delivered. this is the worst food ive ever had for /mexican food, there were 2 peppers as ordered but they were not cooked enough at all. i had to use a knife to cut through them. they were stuffed with ground beef which i didnt like. i was expecting them to be filled with cheeses as they have everywhere i have ever gotten them. There was no batter, never fried. out of the two peppers one of them had one small strip of cheese across the top. none on other one. i am so upset because it was a special treat for me to order out because i am a widow with very limited income and I can not afford this but i did since i broke my hand and shoulder i really wanted something special. After 3 bites i cant make myself eat any more. read more

I should have like 100 plus check ins here, literally we ate here so often the workers knew my family by first name and from the early stages of wife's pregnancy to him being 2 yrs old now. And even I and my co-workers come here. It's fast and convenient, but that's where it stops. I'd love to give them 3 maybe a 4 Star, but there is an owner there that doesn't budge or bend or check quality. It's a fast food Mexican spot. I found a much better, cater to what you like and fresh Mexican place- sorry El Nopal. I wondered how it was possible that these plates came out so fast after ordering---- well hmmmmm!! Great salsa, huge margaritas, staff change again.... maybe I'll check out if anything changes since our last visit. I hope so. It was fun being there and the food had taste. read more

El Nopal Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Hopewell, Virginia

They have roaches .DO NOT EAT HERE !!!!!! I ordered through Grubhub and was eating my food when this roach came out !!!! I feel so sick ! This restaurant needs to be shut down !!!!! Please forward this to everyone !!!!! Never have I experienced something like this !! #shut this place down! read more

El Nopal Mexican Restaurant - They have roaches .DO NOT EAT HERE !!!!!! - Mexican Near Me - Hopewell, Virginia

We've ate her multiple times and this place does not disappoint! Amazing food and service! We get flan for dessert and my kids love it! Husband and I either get fajitas or chicken with cheese sauce topped with onion, mushrooms, and bell peppers! SO yummy!! read more

This place is definitely a good place to eat if you come to the Ft. Lee area. When I went I was alittle worries at first because not much people were there (at first) it definitely picked up business. I was seated immediately, offered a drink, and given some really good chips and dip (never had the cheese kind. I recommend you try it). I asked the waitress for a margarita and she bought me "heaven in a bowl" it was good!!! I asked her for a meal recommendation and she did not disappoint. Everything was the way it should be honestly when you think of a good authentic mexican meal! Check this place out read more

El Nopal Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Hopewell, Virginia

Introduced some of my co-workers to El Nopal. 7 out of 7 all approved this restaurant. So what other rating to give this restaurant than a 5 out of 5! The service was phenomenal, you'll never go thirsty, or run out of chips and salsa. Your order comes esthetically presentable, warm, and expected to leave on a full stomach. The language is either English or Spanish so you don't have to spend money on a Spanish translator. Honestly people, this restaurant has great food and customer service. I definitely recommend this restaurant to anybody who enjoys Mexican food. Or, who simply wants to try something new. Try it! read more

El Nopal Mexican Restaurant - No better way to satisfy your hunger with chips and salsa. - Mexican Near Me - Hopewell, Virginia

For a Texas girl I didn't expect much from a Mexican restaurant here in Virginia lol. I was pleasantly surprised. I got nachos with fajita beef and they were great. I also liked the salsa. The hostess who took our payment was very welcoming and sweet. read more

This place sucks. The service is crappy, drinks, aren't good also food was gross. Salsa tasted like ketchup.

The pork belly tacos with grilled pineapple are just awesome worth the visit the service is spot on as well as the Margarita's great food period. read more